Delivering a Seamless EV Charging Experience

Research

Service Design

Client:

BP Pulse

My role:

Principal Service Designer

Project:

End-to-end electric vehicle (EV) charging experience

Summary:

To drive EV adoption, I unified BP's home and public charging services into a seamless app and improved signage and charging machines. This enhanced customer experience addressed pain points and earned the app a 4.5-star rating on the App Store and 4.6-star on Google Play.

The outcome

To accelerate electric vehicle adoption, I enhanced the customer experience by designing a unified BP Pulse app for home and public charging, achieving a 4.5-star rating on the Apple App Store and 4.6 stars on Google Play. Conducting in-depth customer research, I informed strategic decisions across the business and collaborated with engineering, procurement, and site teams to optimise charge sequences and improve signage. This holistic approach addressed key customer pain points, delivering a seamless and satisfying charging experience.

Don't just take my word for it

Alexandre Tonneau

Head of Design at BP Pulse

“Alison joined my team in 2022 at a time where I needed autonomous and versatile Senior designers operating at Lead level. She has excelled in her mission, executing User Research, synthesising findings (journey maps, reports), challenging status quo, and exploring suitable solutions for the problem statement we had at the time.

I recommend Alison highly!”

Understanding the Challenges

EV owners faced a fragmented charging process, with separate applications for home and public charging, inconsistent charging unit interfaces, and non-standardised signage. These issues created confusion and frustration, hindering the adoption of electric vehicles.

BP’s initial separate public & home charging apps.

My Role as Principal Service Designer

As the Principal Service Designer, I led efforts to involve engineering, procurement, signage and product early on to understand both the status quo and desired outcome. I developed detailed personas representing our diverse user base. This foundational work ensured that our solutions were tailored to real-world needs. I also mentored younger designers and regularly reviewed their work to ensure consistency across projects.

Delving into User Experiences

Conducting twelve in-depth interviews—six with on-the-go users and six with home charging users—provided valuable insights into user behaviours and challenges. This qualitative research highlighted issues such as the intimidating nature of initiating a charge for the first time and concerns over the reliability and availability of public chargers.

“It was a nightmare. We had absolutely no clue what we were doing! I just remember waving credit cards at a charger, trying to figure out the cable.”

Jess - 30 - London

Mapping the User Journey

Creating comprehensive journey maps for 3 different user types allowed us to visualise the end-to-end user experience, pinpointing critical touchpoints and areas for improvement. This step was crucial in understanding the user's perspective and identifying pain points.

Designing Unified Solutions

I developed sketches, wireframes and process drafts for a combined home and public charging app. I also standardised the user interface across all physical charging units. This combined approach aimed to simplify the charging process and provide a consistent experience.

Collaborative Refinement

Engaging with stakeholders throughout the design process ensured alignment with business objectives and facilitated iterative improvements based on feedback. This collaboration was key to refining our solutions.

Reflecting on the Impact

The project culminated in a seamless and intuitive charging experience for EV owners, addressing previous frustrations and promoting the adoption of electric vehicles. The app has received positive feedback, with a 4.5-star rating on the Apple App Store and a 4.6-star rating on the Google Play Store as of December 2024.

This case study exemplifies the power of user-centered design in creating impactful solutions.

Charging station concept

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